News

CCSE AWARDS GRANTS FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL
NEEDS IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Fourth Annual Ceremony Shows Growth of Program

Kensington, MD — Kensington, Md. --
Six schools received grants from the Catholic Coalition for Special
Education (CCSE) at the annual Grant Awards Ceremony held at St. John
the Evangelist church in Silver Spring, Md. The awards were given to
the schools to continue and expand their high-quality programs designed
to meet the needs of students with intellectual disabilities. Total
awards came to approximately $108,000, a 10 percent increase over the
2008 grant cycle.

“CCSE lives by the words of Pope Benedict XVI,”
said Francesca Pellegrino, founder and president of CCSE, “that
‘no child should be denied his or her right to an education in
faith, which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation.’ And, we hope
that our on-going campaign to raise funds to support meaningful inclusion
programs in Catholic schools cultivates strong family and community
ties, which, in turn, encourages young people — with and without
disabilities — to enter the world with an open heart to all people.”

This year’s award recipients are:

Sister Kathleen Lannak, IHM, accepted the award
for St. John the Evangelist School in Silver Spring,
Md., where the funds will continue to help cover costs of two part-time
special education aides for students with low-incidence disabilities
and to supplement the resource teacher’s salary. Teachers Claire
North and Kelly Burgess, Sister Mary Ellen Malloy, IHM, and Fr. Briese
also represented the school at the award ceremony.

Sacred Heart of Mary, Baltimore,
Md., was represented by Principal Pamela Walters, Brother William
Ciganek and PRIDE Program Liaison of the Archdiocese of Baltimore,
Mary Jo Puglisi. The funds will help pay for the salary of an instructional
aide to help students with intellectual disabilities, including Down
Syndrome.

Principal Tobias Harkleroad and school counselor
Sherry McMahon, accepted the award for St. Camillus,
Silver Spring, Md. This will help fund staffing for the Student Assistance
Team (SAT), a group of teachers and administrators who support all
students with special needs.

Holy Cross, Garrett Park, Md.,
represented by the principal, Lisa Maio Kane, and teachers Jackie
Prince and Karen Rappaport, will use the grant to fund the salary
of a special education teacher who will work with students with intellectual
disabilities.

James Pavlacka, principal of St. Mary
of the Mills School in Laurel, Md., accepted a grant. They
will hire two full-time paraprofessionals who will serve students
with low-incidence disabilities. Maggie Hubbard, assistant principal
and special educator also represented the school.

CCSE’s sixth grant went to Our Lady
of Lourdes School in Bethesda, Md. The funds will be used
to help pay the salary for one special education teacher serving students
with intellectual disabilities and other special learning needs. Patricia
McGann, principal, and Joan Friel and Maureen Rossi, special education
teachers, represented the school.

School representatives told stories of how their students
with special needs touched the hearts of their peers without disabilities,
as well as the teachers and staff at the school, transforming the school’s
environment into a place that is “better for everybody,”
said McGann, principal of Our Lady of Lourdes. Pellegrino added that
she hoped these stories provide an inspiration to all and “help
CCSE motivate more schools in our area to serve students with intellectual
disabilities.”

Sister Lannak set the tone for the ceremony in her
opening remarks that the CCSE Believe in Me! Grant-Making
Program and the participatory schools “break down
the barriers of fear” associated with including students with
intellectual disabilities in schools where most students do not have
significant disabilities. Maggie Hubbard, assistant principal at St.
Mary of the Mills, added later in the evening’s program that students
with intellectual disabilities “fill us and challenge us to be
better than we are.”

The mission of the Catholic Coalition for Special
Education is to ensure that children with special needs are able to
attend and receive an appropriate education in their local Catholic
elementary schools and high schools. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI
“no child should be denied his or her right to an education in
faith, which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation.” CCSE provides
grants and technical assistance to help Catholic schools in Washington,
D.C. and Maryland achieve this goal.